The Master at his best.

I own the Hitchcock collection (14 films in toto), and while this isn't my
favourite of the bunch ('Psycho' is one of my favourite movies of all time,
and 'Birds' never gets old), I like to watch it every now and again to
remind myself what it means to make a "suspense film", and why Hitchcock was
and always will be the master of this craft.

To give away even the slightest story detail would ruin it for new viewers,
because it is essential that everyone begin with the wrong impressions of
the major characters. This allows Hitch to pull off his famous 'twists'
throughout the course of the movie, hitting you every now and then with
something you simply weren't expecting.

One of my favourite elements in the movie is the ongoing dialogue between
Henry Travers and Hume Cronyn, avid mystery readers who are constantly
discussing the best ways to murder each other. Apart from being a bit of
comic relief in an otherwise very dark film, it also demonstrates how
lightly people think of murder and murderers...until they encounter them
face-to-face.

My advice then, if you want to see this movie, is not to learn anything
about it beforehand. Going in with no knowledge will increase the movie's
initial impact, and will help you to appreciate why Hitchcock was the
'Master of Suspense'. This is a taut thriller with no gratuitous violence,
foul language, or mature situations.

(Hitch considered it 'a family film'.)

Enjoy!

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110 out of 165 people found the following review useful:

Uncle Hitch

Uncle Charlie did it for me. I mistrusted the uncle thing as a term of
endearment ever since. Joseph Cotten is the perfect charming monster.
Uncle Charlie's urbanity becomes his most frightening feature. So
plausible. So real. Thornton Wilder was Hitchcock's partner in crime
this time and it shows. The structure is Our Townish, the characters,
deliciously rich. Patricia Collinge's performance is so spot on that
you're longing for more. The scenes between Henry Travers and Hume
Cronyn are how I imagine the story meetings between Thornton Wilder and
Alfred Hitchcock. Teresa Wright's eyes tell the whole story from the
audience's point of view, even if the audience is one step ahead of
her. Brilliant, because in Joseph Cotten's eyes we find his need for
redemption or are we falling in the trap of this master manipulator? We
are torn, just like Teresa Wright. I've seen "Shadow of a Doubt" 3 or 4
times but every time you're forced to take the trip with the same
amount of commitment. I've been toying with the thought of a remake,
I've been doing this lately, although I hate the idea of remakes of
great movies, this one is one of those that in the right hands could
have a real impact. Using Thornton Wilder's original script as the
Bible, Steven Sodebergh could do scrumptious remake for the new
millennium. Tim Robbins as uncle Charlie, can you imagine? Natalie
Portman as his niece. Joan Cusak and William H Macy as her parents.
Wouldn't you go to see that?

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66 out of 84 people found the following review useful:

Dark and brooding thriller from the master of suspense

It is well known that this film is Alfred Hitchcock's favourite of his
own oeuvre, and it's a big favourite of mine also. It is also well
documented that for this film, Hitchcock stated that he "wants to bring
violence back into the home, where it belongs" and he has certainly
succeeded at doing that. Hitchcock spends much of the early screen time
building up the family at the centre of the tale, and then allowing the
violence to come to them, which shows Hitchcock's mastery of the medium
as showing the story develop in this way makes the tale much more
frightening than if we hadn't got to know the family at the centre of
the story first. Joseph Cotten stars as uncle Charlie; a man fleeing
Philadelphia to escape the law after marrying and then murdering
several rich widows. He goes to stay with his sister and her family,
which includes a husband, two young children and the eldest daughter;
his niece and namesake; also called 'Charlie'.

Hitchcock puts the focus of the story on young Charlie and her
relationship with her uncle. This gives the story a frightening angle
as it follows the classic tale of the strange uncle. It's also well
done as young Charlie is shown to be the sweetest of characters, and
when the dark uncle Charlie enters the fray, her sweet world is
infected by nightmares, which also gives way to elements of the classic
'coming of age' tale to enter the proceedings. As if that wasn't
enough, Shadow of a Doubt also exposes the trust we put in our loved
ones, and how any person is likely to try and shift the blame, or
ignore it completely, if their loved one has done wrong. This is shown
by the way that young Charlie still attempts to cover for her beloved
uncle even when all the evidence is pointing to him being guilty.
Hitchcock has turned this thriller, which could easily have been
routine, into a complex study of a family that retains it's interest
throughout due to the multiple themes on display.

Joseph Cotten was the absolute perfect choice to play uncle Charlie.
His portrayal is picture perfect; he carries with him an atmosphere of
dread and morbidity throughout, even when he's not doing anything
wrong. A role of this sort is difficult to get right, as it's all to
easy to underplay it so it isn't effective, or to overstate it so it
becomes ridiculous; but Cotten gets the performance spot on. Teresa
Wright, who stars alongside Cotten in the role of the other Charlie
also does well and delivers a mature and assured performance that fits
her character brilliantly. Some of the supporting roles look a little
suspect at times, but on the whole the acting from the support is good
enough.

The ending of the film comes somewhat against the run of play and is
maybe a little bit too over the top after the rest of the film, which
is largely down to earth. However, it does work and a big ending isn't
something I am in the habit of complaining about. This is up there with
Hitchcock's best work and therefore is highly recommended.

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63 out of 81 people found the following review useful:

Brilliance From Hitchcock & Cotten

"Shadow of a Doubt" is one of Alfred Hitchcock's most brilliant and most
carefully-constructed films, and is further notable as one of the very
finest performances of Joseph Cotten, in his role as "Uncle Charlie". Both
the movie and the central character are thought-provoking and rich in
detail.

The film has an intriguing form that Hitchcock used a number of times (for
example, in "Strangers on a Train" and "Frenzy"), that of setting up
carefully constructed contrasts between two main characters, contrasts that
in turn reflect a further complex of themes in the movie's broader setting
and story. Here, the central contrast comes from the relationship between
Uncle Charlie and his niece "young Charlie" (Teresa Wright). Their
unusually close relationship creates tension and intrigue that go beyond the
basic concern of the main story-line (which is, namely, whether Uncle
Charlie is the elusive serial killer sought by the police). The uncle-niece
relationship also mirrors a great many other topics explored by the film:
most obviously the contrast between the small-town atmosphere of Santa Rosa,
where Uncle Charlie has come to hide out with his sister's family, but also
the complicated nature of the other relationships that we see. A fine
supporting cast led by Henry Travers, Patricia Collinge, and Hume Cronyn
help us focus in on hidden aspects of small-town family and neighborhood
life.

"Shadow of a Doubt" is less known and celebrated than Hitchcock's 50's and
early 60's work, and even than some of his 30's British films, most probably
because it does not contain any of the director's famous set pieces, which
were already a part of his pictures well before "Shadow of a Doubt" was
made. After all, it is a movie about a suspected serial killer, and not
only do we never see him kill anyone, he never even tries anything violent
until much later in the film. But what "Shadow of a Doubt" lacks in the
spectacular it makes up in tension and characterization, especially in
Cotten's brilliant performance. He is by turns charming, calculating,
suspicious, and menacing, a balance very difficult to maintain with
credibility for an entire film. Cotten's skill and Hitchcock's direction
make Uncle Charlie one of Hitchcock's most memorable characters.

Though more slow-paced than most of the famous director's works, this is
still one of his greatest, and should be very satisfying to any fan of
Hitchcock, of Cotten, or of noirish/crime thrillers.

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49 out of 58 people found the following review useful:

Family Feud

I sometimes think that people who don't like this film, don't like it
because you aren't bonked over the head by fancy special effects or
being shown a bloody knife stuck in someone's back. Psychological
thrillers take place in the mind, not splashed across the screen so you
don't have to think but sit in your seat and watch all the pretty
colors flash by!

The acting is superb. Theresa Wright is a gem, and holds her own quite
nicely against veteran actor, Joseph Cotton. What you need to look for
in this film are the subtle cues given that build until Charlie
suspects her beloved uncle is a murderer, and eventually even tries to
kill her, not once but several times.

Made when the world was at war, I find it especially disturbing to
realize that evil could and can be anywhere. Even sitting around your
own dining room table.

One of his very best - I've loved it since I was a child!

"Shadow of a Doubt" may only be listed as #181 on IMDb's "Top 250"
list, but in my opinion it far outweighs some of the films higher up on
that list and is one of Hitch's very best films.

Joseph Cotten plays Charlie, a crook on the run from the police. Left
stranded and pursued, he decides to move in with his brother's family.
His niece - who loves him and sees him as a sort of perfect role model
- at first is excited that her Uncle Charlie is coming...but then
things start to get strange. Charlie acts oddly and, at times, violent.
She begins to become suspicious of her uncle as he becomes more
suspicious of her own awareness.

The ending of "Shadow of a Doubt" is classic Hitchcock and some of the
best stuff he's done. The entire film is taut and suspenseful,
well-filmed and realistic. It manages to focus on family ties and the
struggles within the family itself while it also juggles the whole
theme of an outcast family member.

In the end, however, it's just a nail-biting thriller that - now over
sixty years old - still reigns as one of the absolute best of its
genre.

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47 out of 64 people found the following review useful:

Among the greatest Hitchock classics of the 40's

The ultimate master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock directed his fascinating
masterpiece "Shadow of a doubt" at the age of 44 and it was a terrific
improvement after the classic "Saboteur" which was definitely a great Hitch
movie too, don't get me wrong here. Could it be more simple: this one just
had a perfect story that really touched the audience and the whole wicked
idea of finding out you have a killer uncle is most exciting when you think
of it. It could happen to anybody, I'm sure. No wonder this was one of
Hitchcock's own personal favorites. "Shadow of a doubt" may not be the
finest Hitchcock-movie of the 40's, though. I admit I haven't seen all of
them but I think "Rope" was ever better and "Spellbound" at least just as
marvelous but it's safe to say this is one of the most stylish
Hitchcock-movies of the decade. What a shame Joseph Cotten never became a
bigger star because his powerful performance was one of the most memorable
elements of the film.

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31 out of 37 people found the following review useful:

Not the standard Hitchcock stuff * MILD SPOILER*

Shadow of a Doubt is classified as a Film Noir thriller. While I can
see elements of film noir and elements of the thriller genre in this
film, I think this film is more of a character study. It's a story
about what happens when a soul-mate turns out to be somebody
unexpected.

The cast is excellent, and the lead characters - played by Joseph
Cotten and Teresa Wright - are very well imagined, written and
portrayed. Both characters called for sweeping and dramatic personality
changes which Wright and Cotten pulled off convincingly. Wright plays a
very young woman (19-ish) living with her family and sort of depressed
and aimless, while Cotten is her namesake and favorite uncle, Charlie.
Uncle Charlie has come to visit and brought good cheer to the entire
family, but shortly after his arrival, young Charlie begins to discover
that Uncle Charlie has some sinister secrets. As the clues begin to add
up to a coherent conclusion, Wright's character is forced to decide
what to do about her growing, troublesome, understanding.

In typical Hitchcockian fashion, the film toys with its audience for
the first 3/4ths and does not reveal itself until its almost too late -
playing on paranoia, misleading and ambiguous dialog, and terrific
acting to create equivocation. However, as you will see, this is not
the standard Hitchcock stuff - in the end it has more to do with the
characters and what they do than the action and resolution of the
ingenious plot.

The Hitch' blows me away almost every time, and Shadow of a Doubt is
one of his best. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's a very
thoughtful and exquisitely executed character study about a very young
and very bright woman, encountering the heavy side of life for the
first time, and the choices she makes. Worth seeing for Wright's
performance alone (easily Oscar-worthy), Shadow of a Doubt is a
timeless piece of noir-esquire originality.

Outstanding Hitchcock

For the kind of thing Hitchcock does, this is one of his best films. Not
really a whodunit, for the identity of the [serial] killer's revealed early
on.

It therefore becomes a challenge to maintain high interest thereafter. This
is done through fine performances, direction, photography and production
values.

Cast against type, Joesph Cotton is wonderful--a perfect ironic Hitchcock
villain: charming, sweet-talking, and suave. The kind unsuspecting,
vulnerable widows might be drawn to. Cotton's own personality works magic
in bringing out all the nuances of personality in this
role.

One of the most talented of actors, Teresa Wright, is cast in the lead role.
Her enormous talent and thespian integrity are put to the test here, and
they triumph in a great performance.

Like Cathy O'Donnell, another sweet, girl-next-door type, Wright's persona
ran out early in Hollywood, and she was prematurely pushed into matronly
roles. A shame, for there was none finer than Wright.

The script and production is clean, concise, sharp and economic, and "Shadow
of a Doubt" remains one of Hitch's greatest cinematic achievements.

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22 out of 25 people found the following review useful:

One of Cotten's triumphs; Hitchcock's film is conventional, but gripping

One thing that strikes many who come upon Shadow of a Doubt is the
knowledge that it was Hitchcock's favorite among his own films- and
many watch it with very high expectations, getting shot down as well,
making it one of his more under-rated efforts. True, it doesn't go for
the immense macabre that lay in Psycho, The Birds, and Torn Curtain,
but it is very effective in telling its stories, and giving us
character to either love, or love to hate.

The whole concept to the story is very appealing- a (painfully) normal
suburban family gets a calling from a relative- Uncle Charlie (Joseph
Cotten)- who wants to come by for a little while. The oldest daughter,
also named Charlie (Teresa Wright), almost feels like a kindred spirit
to her uncle, happy as can be that he's come to visit. Things start to
unravel, however, when two detectives on his trail come into town,
bringing to young Charlie to light what could be going down, or what
might not be, or what is as clear as psychopathic day.

It's actually of interest to compare this film to Psycho, I think, in
how it's a start contrast to how Hitchcock tells the story of the
ordinary people of the world getting involved with a certifiable
gentlemen. And, perhaps, one could argue (I might, up to a point) that
Cotten's performance rivals that of a Norman Bates leading male in the
subtleties of the suspense in the film. And it solidifies in my book
that Cotten had a wonderful range in his work, when he could go from
playing a Jed Leland in Citizen Kane, to this film, and then on to The
Third Man's Holly Martins. Here, he digs into the character and you'll
either find it un-convincing in the 40's sense, or a knock-out. As for
Teresa Wright, she finds some good notes as well in playing off of
Cotten, even in the earlier scenes. And those kids are just the right
icing to the cake the film cooks up.

It may take a couple of viewings to really warm up to this film, or you
may like it right away. But Shadow of a Doubt contains not only fine
acting, but also some trademark Hitchcock camera stylizing. My
favorites included a particular shot closing in from medium close-up to
extreme close-up on Uncle Charlie when he's in a memorable monologue at
the dinner table. Another is the use of the dark value on the
characters when they talk outside. And, of course, a climax that is
genuine in theatricality. A+